04/02/2012 - "It was a little weird coming into Columbia," said Garcia, who moved back to Tampa immediately after being dismissed. "But I went to lunch yesterday and a few people came up to me and said they really support me and wished me luck. The support here has been awesome. Everybody was cheering, and seeing the old guys was a pretty unbelievable feeling." While Garcia followed his teammates from afar as they compiled the most successful season in USC history, he admitted it was difficult. Football had always been a part of his life, and Garcia was in a quandary with no idea what direction his life would take. "I went home and I just looked in the mirror and said: ???What the hell am I going to do now?' I had no idea what I was going to do. I thought the dream of playing at the next level was over." Garcia, who played at 230 pounds, ballooned to 245 before coming to a realization. "Monday I called the guy I work with now and said: ???I've got to start training again,' said Garcia. "I've got to give it one shot.' I think it has paid off. I hope it has. "I have cut back drinking, really cut it out completely, truthfully. I've got a chef down there in Tampa who makes my lunch and dinners. I think that has really been the key - losing all the weight. I don't know if it has been the working out as much as the not drinking and the food." Garcia weighed in at 218 pounds on Pro Day, lighter than he competed for USC. - Willie T. Smith III, Greenville News